An effective website content strategy is necessary for a successful online presence. Your website is usually the first place where your target audience encounters your brand. Yet, most businesses use their website as a basic brochure and fail to utilize it as an active tool to generate leads and develop their brand. To enable your website to drive actual business outcomes, you will require a content strategy plan designed for the web. Such a plan must incorporate content marketing, SEO, and user experience.
What is Website Content Strategy?
Web content strategy is a strategic process for planning, developing, managing, and governing website content to address user needs and business goals. A website content strategy differs from content strategy in general in that it addresses the specific demands of web development, content management systems, search engine optimization, and user experience of the visitors to your site.
A complete website content strategy plan includes:
- Defining your target audience and their user needs
- Conducting a content audit of existing content and identifying outdated content
- Setting key performance indicators (KPIs) for your website content
- Developing an editorial calendar and content governance framework
- Creating and publishing content that aligns with your brand’s voice and business goals
- Regularly reviewing and updating your content to ensure it remains relevant and effective
5 Key Elements of a Website Content Strategy
Audience and Business Alignment
Begin by establishing your target audience, their user requirements, and your business objectives. Use analytics and customer input to learn more about what your audience is looking for and which content leads to conversions. Ensure your website content is consistent with your brand and aligns with your content marketing strategy. Select content types that are appropriate for your site.
SEO and Website Content Marketing
SEO is the foundation of any effective website content strategy. Conduct keyword research to discover valuable search terms for your industry and audience. Optimize each web page with related keywords, meta tags, internal linking, and schema markup. Create content that addresses your audience’s queries and makes your website a valuable resource within your industry. Combine your SEO initiatives with your content marketing program to generate organic traffic and enhance search engine rankings. For a step-by-step guide, check Google’s SEO Starter Guide.
Content Creation, Production, and Governance
Employ a content management system (CMS) to organize content creation and publication. Develop content that is easy to read and relevant to your target audience. Implement content governance policies to ensure quality and consistency, and delegate specific responsibilities to your small staff. Utilize an editorial calendar to schedule content based on business objectives, seasonal patterns, and user requirements.
Content Audit, Optimization, and Maintenance
Audit your existing content regularly to determine outdated and usable content, gaps, and areas for improvement. Perform a content audit to gather data, gain insights, and make your web pages user- and search engine-friendly. Refresh or retire outdated content, reimagine high-performing content, and keep your website content fresh and current.
Measurement and Continuous Improvement
Monitor key KPIs such as organic traffic, search engine rankings, conversion rates, and engagement metrics through Google Analytics or other software. Check your data regularly to refine your content strategy, experiment with new approaches, and make sure your website content strategy is yielding definitive results.
Content Types and Their Role in Website Strategy
An effective website content strategy employs various forms of content, and each form plays a unique function in assisting users and business objectives:
- Home: The central location that displays your brand’s personality, what you do, and key actions for individuals to perform.
- Landing Pages: Specific campaign, product, or service-targeted pages that are optimized for search intent and conversions.
- Blog Posts: Educational content that pulls organic traffic, address user queries, and build authority in your niche.
- FAQs: Respond to frequently asked questions, reduce support inquiries, and enhance user experience and SEO.
- Resource Pages/Guides: Detailed content that teaches users, creates trust, and can be used as links for SEO.
- Case Studies/Testimonials: Demonstrate actual results and establish trust with potential customers.
Contact/About Pages: Humanize your brand, offer key information, and enable user interaction.
By strategically developing and optimizing these content types, you ensure your website meets user needs at every stage of the journey and supports your overall content marketing and business objectives.
Key Content Performance Indicators for Website Content
| KPI | What It Measures | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Organic Traffic | Visitors from search engines | Indicates SEO effectiveness and content discoverability |
| Conversion Rate | Percentage of visitors who take desired actions | Measures content effectiveness for business goals |
| Bounce Rate | Percentage of visitors who leave without interaction | Reflects content relevance and user experience |
| Time on Page | How long visitors stay on a web page | Shows content engagement and quality |
| Page Views | Number of times a web page is viewed | Reveals content reach and popularity |
| Social Shares | How often website content is shared | Indicates content virality and audience engagement |
| Keyword Rankings | Position in search results for target search terms | Tracks SEO progress and visibility |
Content Management System: The Backbone of Website Content
A strong content management system (CMS) is the key to organizing website content effectively. A CMS enables you to develop, edit, and post content, organize your editorial calendar, and keep your content on target with your strategy. Select a CMS that will accommodate your web development requirements, be integrated with analytics tools, and provide collaboration capabilities for your small staff.
Optimizing for Mobile Sites and User Experience
Since more individuals are accessing websites through mobile devices, your website content strategy should prioritize mobile websites. Ensure your web pages are responsive, quick to load, and simple to navigate across platforms. Use clear language and intuitive navigation to allow users to easily locate helpful content.
How Juicer.io Amplifies Your Website Content Strategy
If you want to maximize your website content strategy, Juicer is a great resource. Juicer is a business social media aggregator that allows you to collect data and curate content from over 15 social media platforms, displaying it directly on your website. This helps you:
- Keep your website content fresh and engaging
- Showcase user-generated content and build social proof
- Support your content marketing strategy with dynamic, regularly updated feeds
- Gather insights about content performance and audience engagement
Juicer integrates seamlessly with your website, is easy to set up, and offers upgrade options for more accounts, greater design flexibility, and more features. You can spend less time on content creation and ensure your web page always contains the latest, most relevant material.
Conclusion: Develop a Website Content Strategy That Works
A website content strategy is not a checklist, but rather a living, breathing plan that propels business growth. By prioritizing your audience, incorporating SEO, employing a content management system, and optimizing your content, you can develop a website that attracts, engages, and converts. Utilize tools such as Juicer to maximize your content marketing strategy and ensure your website content remains fresh, engaging, and performing.
Ready to take your website content strategy to the next level? Start with your current content audit, define specific KPIs, and develop a plan that prioritizes your business and audience needs.
Learn more about how to make your social media strategy and blog content work together.
